Friday, August 07, 2020

Montgomery County appears to have upper hand on private schools closure order until court date

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
Tepid state response comes amid some
private schools' decisions to accept 
online start to fall semester

Is the newest order by Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles closing private schools through October 1, 2020 legal, in light of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's own order forbidding such blanket closures of non-public schools? We likely won't even begin to know the answer to that question until it gets its first courtroom hearing a week from today. But Montgomery County's aggressive approach, and one state official's tepid response to it Thursday, appears to have given Montgomery leaders the upper hand in the interim.

A few private schools have begun switching gears amidst the impasse, announcing they will begin their fall semesters online, rather than in-class. This may demoralize some opponents of the County's order, if their students enrolled in those schools can't have in-person instruction before October anyway. Some Catholics have criticized the Archdiocese of Washington for not making a more forceful stand against the closures of their schools, while others have said Catholic leaders are most effective negotiating quietly behind the scenes.

But a response from Hogan putting the County in its place that many opponents hoped was coming from Annapolis yesterday never arrived. In its stead was a letter from Maryland Secretary of Health Robert R. Neall. Rather than threaten legal or law enforcement action against County officials for violating Hogan's express order, it simply laid out "the State of Maryland's position" on the matter. The letter reiterated Hogan's order that counties may not institute blanket closures of all private schools, but that health officers retain the authority to shut down individual schools in violation of CDC and Maryland Health Department protocols on reopening of schools. Montgomery County promptly ignored Neall's letter and proceeded forward.

Perhaps the state's low-key response is strategic ahead of the upcoming legal battle. But in the short term, it appears Hogan will not take immediate action to enforce his order. That leaves parents to continue to be the primary opposing force for at least another week. It also leaves the outcome in the hands of the judge in a courtroom, a place where Montgomery County Government almost never loses, it must be noted. If Montgomery County's order isn't legally airtight, they're sure acting like it is - and in the absence of action from Annapolis, they aim to take a knee and run out the clock.

With the overall goal being about protecting enrollment numbers at Montgomery County Public Schools amid an exodus of students as much a public health, the luxury of no strong opposition from Annapolis is a winning hand. That time ticking away, and the uncertainty, is already having an impact on some private schools' plans.

"The way forward for Good Counsel is to focus on stability," Our Lady of Good Counsel High School President Paul G. Barker said in a statement yesterday, announcing the school will begin the semester online. "We have just over a week to faculty orientation, two weeks to freshman orientation, and three weeks to the first day of classes for all. We have waited as long as we can to provide our teachers and families a clear path for the start of school."

5 comments:

  1. Where is the evidence that this "is as much about keeping MCPS enrollment high as it is about pubic health"? 160,000+ people are dead. The federal response has been weak and inconsistent. The Republican response has been to leave it up to state and local authorities. Hogan has done a relatively good job in managing the pandemic response including his original position on local authorities and school closings, but then he waffled when faced with political pressure. Elrich has also done a relatively good job on COVID. Whether a school is private or public, in-school instruction poses threats to the students, teachers and staff; their families & the community-at-large. IMO, I'd rather leave decisions on school openings to local & public health authorities who are best equipped to objectively evaluate local conditions, not remote politicians or reporters. I have two kids who are students. I care about their health, my own & my community's. There are good reasons to keep schools in MoCo closed for the time being. You may not agree with them, but don't criticize those making difficult decisions with unsupported accusations.

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  2. Anonymous2:51 PM

    Inquisitor spouting off the DNC talking points but has all his facts wrong.
    Sweden didn’t close schools and had 0 deaths among children.
    You just want to continue on until November 4 and your spouting words republican prove it.

    160000 were Not killed by Covid. The numbers were inflated as people who died of underlying health conditions were treated as covid deaths.

    Of the people who died 95% were over the age of 75.
    85% older than 70.
    About 15 people under the age of 12..

    Children have next to nothing to have any impact even if they did get covid

    THE USA HAS REACHED HERD IMMUNITY AND THERE ARE MANY MORE PROBLEMS INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH KEEPING CHILDREN HOME

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    Replies
    1. Nonsense. Hogwash. I’m a Trump Administration employee And am not working ing from home. I’m at risk everyday. I voted Republican when I lived in DC & when I first moved to MoCo. The Republican Party abandoned me and most of America. Your numbers are simply wrong. Even Trump Admin data concedes that 40% of Covid deaths are individuals under 75. And yes older people and those with other conditions are more vulnerable to Covid and most other diseases. Does that mean they don’t matter? Fewer kids have died from Covid than senior citizens, but the numbers rise for 15-24 year olds and the numbers are not insignificant. However, the biggest risk from sending kids back to school is community spread to their families and the community at large.

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  3. Anonymous2:53 PM

    Democrats just make up lies about covid
    China virus will disappear on November 4 but lazy teachers will still want to stay at home eating Bon bons and swilling wine

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  4. Anonymous2:54 PM

    It is time to dismantle the teachers unions and get rid of ability of county health officials to issue commands

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